Finding Dory:

Hard to say whether the incessant, shameless promotion of the opening of this sequel to Finding Nemo made a difference to the box office at the hands of Ellen DeGeneres, but with her support or without it, it has become one of the biggest box office successes in many years having gone over a billion dollars in box office grosses worldwide, with the Blu-Ray just coming out now. Some feel this is a better movie than the first, others feel it isn’t – from my perspective, it’s pretty much the same movie as the first, with the short-term-memory-challenged Blue Tang voiced by Ellen, setting out on a quest to find her parents. Highlight of the movie, I think, is the aquarium octopus Hank (voice of Ed O’Neil). Also features the voices of Sigourney Weaver and Eugene Levy. Rated PG.

Army of One:

Nicholas Cage stars as the real-life Gary Faulkner, in a largely Hollywood-ized version if this American’s question to kill Osama Bin Laden. Faulkner, a Colorado native, armed himself with a sword that he purchased on the Home Shopping Network, a pair of night vision goggles that he got on Amazon.com, and a dagger and a pistol. He was stopped by Pakistani authorities in the mountains near the Tora Bora region when Bin Laden had been reported at one time. Faulkner was acting entirely on his own, and having been caught by the Pakistanis, it was learned that this was not his first time making an attempt to find and kill Bin Laden. And it wasn’t the second. It was the 11th! It’s not like he was a healthy specimen of a combat fighter either – Faulkner required thrice weekly dialysis for kidney disease. Directed by long-time Seinfeld producer Larry Charles, the movie also stars Rainn Wilson from The Office. Rated 14A.

Game of Thrones, Season Six:

For a TV series that plays out like an epic movie, there is nothing like this amazing piece of work from HBO. If you aren’t acquainted with Game of Thrones, or if you missed an episode or two this past season, this DVD/Blu-Ray is a great place get started. The battle episode, second-from-the-end of the season is worth them time and the effort all by itself as the returned-from-the-dead Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) leads his assembled armies and allies into both a bloody and muddy conflict from which few would surface still alive. Epic is the only word that truly explains what you’ll feel as this amazing production plays out. Rated 14A.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003):

If you are looking for an ageless romantic film that has a distinct resonance of truth, this movie, based on the real-life experiences of author and professor of literature Frances Mayes will work for you. Diane Lane plays Mayes, whose author husband approaches her and demands a divorce as he wants to marry the woman with whom he is having an affair. Because Mayes had been supporting him from her professor's salary while he wrote his book, he sues her for alimony. In getting away from it all, she ends up in Tuscany, living in a rundown villa, coming to grips with the fact that she may never be able to return home to America because of all the water that has passed under the bridge. For those who read the book, you will find the movie treatment quite different. Sandra Oh co-stars. Rated 14A.

Mars Attacks (1996):

A somewhat forgotten Tim Burton movie, which he co-wrote as well as having directed, was conceived as a spoof on the sci-fi movies and pulp magazines of the 1950s. It is supposed to be set in the '90s, but the fashions, vehicles, and weapons are all from 40 years earlier. It's just a normal day until the President of the United States announces that Martians are circling the earth and are headed for a landing. In a gag that still holds up for late night radio listeners, the aliens first touch down at Pahrump, Nevada, which is where Art Bell, the originator of the Coast-to-Coast radio show resided. Great cast with Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Martin Short, and Michael J. Fox among others. Rated 14A.